Medal of Honor recipient: 'I am as ordinary as they come'

Reluctant author tells story of events that earned him military's highest recognition

10:05 PM,
Dec. 1, 2012

Sal Giunta

Written by

Daniel P. Finney
| Des Moines Register

The hair is a little longer and he's grown a goatee, but U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore "Sal" Giunta, now retired, still carries himself like a soldier.

He stands straight, weight balanced perfectly on both feet and without a hint of fidget in him. He addresses everyone as "sir" or "ma'am." And he looks people straight in the eye, locking his dark brown eyes in a clear, confident gaze.

The Medal of Honor recipient was back in Iowa talking to the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives at the group's annual conference in West Des Moines on Friday. ...